Happy Valentine’s Day! I Last week when I posted that I would share my New Year’s Resolutions with you this week, I completely forgot that today would be Valentine’s Day. I do have my resolutions written down and ready to go, but I’m going to save them for next week. Today, I am thinking about Valentine’s Day and love. No, not necessarily romantic love (even though that’s all very well and nice and I am hopelessly in love with my husband). I’m thinking about love in general. Love between a parent and a child. Love between friends. Love for your family. Love for your pets. Love for your job or school. Love for your hobby. Love for your neighbor. Love for other people. Self-love. There are so many ways to love and none of them should be excluded, particularly today.
Valentine’s Day seems to be so over-the-top focused on romantic love, particularly here in the United States. This can be so lonely, which is ridiculous on a day that was somewhat picked at random! I spent plenty of Valentine’s Days as a single lady and I remember feeling how crappy it was – even though I don’t care about the trappings of Valentine’s Day! Seriously, my husband and I are celebrating our 10th Valentine’s Day together and we have never.ever.ever. bought each other anything. Or gone out to dinner. Or done much to commemorate the day. What do we do instead? We order Chinese or Thai food and prepare our taxes. Oh, how romantic!
That said, lots of people do care about Valentine’s Day, but they don’t have a special someone with whom to celebrate, so they’re sad. I get it. I really do. I didn’t care about Valentine’s Day either, but it still made me sad when I didn’t have someone. So today, let’s celebrate love in general!
Here are some little ways to celebrate (that may or may not involve time and money):
- Bring donuts for your work
- Go out to lunch with friends
- Order take-out for yourself or for some friends
- Go see your parents
- Treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure
- Take a long bath/shower
- Take an exercise class that you think is fun
- Volunteer at an animal shelter
- Volunteer at a homeless shelter
- Watch your favorite movie
- Buy cheap chocolate at the grocery store
- Buy discounted flowers the day after at the grocery store
- Write positive notes on Post-Its and stick them in random places
However you choose to spend Valentine’s Day, I hope you know that you are loved. Whatever else is going on in your life, I love you.
Any Little Way 